Underneath the Underneath
by fotoshop-cutout
Summary: Starting from a young age, Naruto carries secrets: some that are too much to handle just on his own. Originally posted on Livejournal.
1. Prologue: Nobody Knows the Real Me

Pairing: Kakanaru eventually perhaps some other pairings mentioned along the way.

Rating: PG-13 for swearing and alcohol use

Disclaimer: _All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from._ Also, song is "Nobody Knows" by Faces.

Notes/Warnings: un-betaed.

* * *

Being the little runt that was always dressed in orange and acting like a complete dolt took the energy right out of me. I mean, how stupid can one boy be? I scoffed at myself. Currently I was lying (more like tossed down) onto my brown colored couch. Well, Naruto's. So I suppose actually the Hokage's, by extension. My cerulean eyes swept around the room, then landed on my knees. I needed to get a shower and change. I reeked and the orange needed to go away before it leeched into my retinas. Besides, it was time for my weekly report to the Hokage's office.

Peeling off the gross clothing, I tossed it in the washing machine, started that, and then moved into the shower. Sighing, I let the liquid pour over my petite frame. I washed my hair, my body. With a yawn and stretch I turned off the water and grabbed a towel. Still tired, yet oddly refreshed, I walked to the closet and kneeled down. Pulling open a trap door, I grabbed the clothing lying within. Really, I don't see why Sandaime had to play the joke on me and assign my color to be that horrid shade of orange. I swear I wear it no matter what, unless there's a funeral to attend. I yanked the clothing out of the hidden compartment and shook it out. Sighing as I looked at the less vibrant, yet still orange jacket and pants, I tossed them onto the bed, pulling out other clothes.

Pulling on boxers, then the pants, the boots with armor on them already; then the metal fishnet shirt, his black undershirt, armor over that, and finally the horrid orange jacket; I frowned, looking at myself in the mirror. Two more things to do; I took two long strips of linen, tying one securely around my waist, using it as a make-shift belt; the other was tied around my face, creating a mask, and then crossed behind my head to tie up the majority of my hair. Chunks of blond stuck out of the hasty wrapping job, but I couldn't be bothered to fix it. Finally, I took a ceramic mask and yanked it over my head, then vanished in a puff of smoke.

-----

_Nobody comes and nobody goes,  
No one is happy, and no one has woes.  
Everything lasting, ever the same,  
Nothing is ending, nothing can change._

-----

"Hey, Kotetsu, have you seen whether Keiko's come in or not?" A snigger followed the inquiry.

"Why haven't ya tried picking the lock? Ya say yer a ninja, but ya don't act like one." A sluggish smirk spread over his features and he ran a scarred hand through onyx hair. Okay, so perhaps he was slightly drunk on the job. Izumo just frowned at his coworker and friend. He turned back and fiddled with the doorknob once more. He sighed, stepping away from the plain dark wood door, fingers trailing off. His fingertips were just barely leaving the knob when it jiggled, making Izumo jump, then spin around, ready to defend himself. The door opened, revealing a white and crimson mask, orange, brown, the silver glow of armor, and tufts of blond hair. Immediately, Izumo fell back a step and bowed deeply.

"Hontokage-sama, welcome back." The intensity of the cerulean gaze that pierced everything in the room as it darted around even made the drunken lackey of the Sandaime Hokage sit up straight and blink in a dazed manner. After a quick surveillance of the room, the azure eyes locked back on Izumo's bent form.

"Hmph. It's silly to call me such a professional sounding name," he plowed through the slight protest of Izumo and his continued bow, "And in any case, you're only here to supply me with information and weapons. It doesn't matter to me what we call each other, call me "Baka" for all I care." He blinked as the older man (well, older than him) seemed flustered, attempting to scrape something coherent from the inside of his skull, perhaps trying to sound intelligent to him. Plus, he was still bowing while sputtering out words, trying to ask for his forgiveness. He let loose a ragged sigh.

"Straighten up, get my weapons, my information, and let me in to see the Sandaime. We'll sit down and have a little heart-to-heart chat later." He turned his masked features away from Hokage's servants, watching the clumsy and jerky movement of the drunkard and the forever-faithful follower, taking his packs when they were handed to him. Slowly, his fingers worked buckles and straps as he hooked the packs onto his clothing. Once he was finished, he noticed the shorter (and soberer) one standing at attention, facing him.

"Hontokage-sama, I regret to inform you that the Sandaime has sent us no informati—"

"Wha—you checked the right…" The voice of the drunken one seeped into the formal speech, but then trailed off when the blue eyes landed on his form. He, smartly, stayed silent. The other cleared his throat.

"As I was saying, the Sandaime sent us no information regarding any sort of mission for you; I suggest you speak with him directly on this matter." The masked boy's eyes slowly traced their way back to the short one during his talking, a swift nod was given. Izumo flicked his wrist, giving him the signal that he could enter the Hokage's office, then a small displacement of air; the orange-clad boy was gone.

-----

_The good lord always has been,  
Always will be ever the same.  
And confusion mixed with illusion  
All years only turn again  
With one and one hundred names  
Had all the rooms, our key is to change._

-----

He watched the Sandaime as he filled out forms, ink dripping, smearing, creating kanji and other symbols, perhaps just checking boxes for more supplies, going through paperwork as quickly as he could. Azure eyes watched this happen from the ceiling. He had been standing there for the past ten minutes without detection. Really, he wasn't suppressing his chakra that much, someone could still sense him if they were looking. He blinked, and then stopped the steady flow of chakra to his feet, twisting his small form into a tucked position, spiraling and landing in a crouch on the old man's desk. He glanced up.

"You should become more aware of your surroundings, Hokage-sama. I don't wish to see any ill befall you." He reached up with a hand, removing the porcelain mask. He jumped back, landing soundlessly on the floorboards. He blinked at his fellow Kage, and then bowed deeply. A chuckle rose from the recovered man.

"I have to admit, that did surprise me. I knew you were near, though I couldn't pinpoint you; perhaps I'm losing my touch in my old age." A smile rose from both people in the room, though the boy's was covered by a mask of linen.

"In any case, how is it going, Keiko? The missions aren't too much trouble, are they, I mean, with that team." The blue eyes blinked, as if trying to comprehend the hidden meaning behind the words.

"If you believe that I do not think highly of that team, you should know better. I enjoy the time I spend with my team, even if I do sometimes wish I could just do away with the Uchiha. I hear whispers of 'prodigy' from nearly everyone, yet all I see is an arrogant bastard." He spoke evenly, in a hushed tone that would scare most, knowing that most that are subdued are liable to explode at any moment. Though, the Sandaime did seem surprised that he swore.

"Now, now, don't be too heavy handed on the boy. Not everyone can meet your set of standards. Besides, we're not here to gossip like old ladies, or even young ones for that matter." He cleared his throat, looking pointedly at his mask.

"I was told I have no missions. Don't you think that Sand could use a helping hand right now?" The old man shook his head and sighed.

"No, Sand is quite alright on its own. They will choose to either report to us where the missing Sannin, Orochimaru is; or they will cause problems in the future. Neither can be helped, but we mustn't show that we have our Hontokage on the job. It might look as if we're spying into their trade routes and such." He smiled.

"Instead, I will be assigning 'your' team some D-ranked missions tomorrow. I just wished to check in with you." The azure eyes disappeared behind the mask once more, a small nod given to the Kage.

"Understood." A displacement of air and he vanished, returning to his home to get ready for a new day.


	2. Living A Lie

Pairing: Kakanaru eventually perhaps some other pairings mentioned along the way.

Rating: PG-15 for language and mention of an adult novel

Disclaimer: _All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from._ Also, song is "Boston" by Augustana.

Notes: I did make the Whirlpool Village have the Kansai dialect; but it won't play much of a part, but I thought I would mention that it is a true dialect. Un-betaed.

* * *

-----

_in the light of the sun, is there anyone? oh it has begun...  
oh dear you look so lost, eyes are red and tears are shed,  
this world you must've crossed...you said..._

you don't know me, you don't even care,  
you don't know me, you don't wear my chains...

-----

Breakfast was satisfying when it was warm and you could feel it filling your stomach. After all, he wasn't without feeling; he was just stoic for the most part. But, he reminded himself with a swift dose of pain (intentionally biting his tongue), that Naruto was not. Naruto was an emotional being; and so started a chaotic day for the Genin, Uzumaki Naruto.

"Itai!" Okay, so the instant ramen was scalding if he didn't remember to blow on it first. Perhaps Sakura was right in her statement that he was a masochist—though it would only be subconsciously. He certainly didn't _mean_ to hurt himself or look clumsy. His cerulean eyes clenched closed, then reopened after the initial wave of pain washed over him. That was more like it—he should be acting more like Uzumaki Naruto. He huffed, then, forgetting his ramen, trudged over to the mirror, pulling faces like Naruto would. Once he found the grin he was looking for, he got it: he was completely in character now. He dressed with vigor, rummaged through his weapons closet and found the ones he used as a genin, yet toyed with the thought of showing up with a katana on his back (but remembered he was _Naruto_).

Finally he ended up locking the apartment door behind him, racing down hallways and down stairs, skidding to a halt, then tip-toeing by the second door on the left on his way out of the apartment building.

"Naruto!" He froze, a scared look crossing his features before he grinned, spinning around.

"Heya, Haru-san!" And to think he would normally sit down and talk to the man, but today, darn it, he had missions.

"Trying to sneak by me again, huh? Well, that doesn't matter, Iruka and I were wondering if you would want to go to Ichiraku's tonight. On me, of course. What do ya say Kitsune-han?" Ah, his dialect was showing again. He always ended up calling him by an affectionate ending more like 'chan' than anything else, but suited to his homeland, the old Whirlpool Village. He was the one that had given Naruto the knowledge about his mother, well; he had been Naruto back then. Now, Haru avoided using that name because he knew otherwise, not to mention they had grown close over the years. But, in all fairness, he would never pass up a chance to hang out with his two favorite people.

"Sure, should I be there for seven, like always?" He grinned, happy that someone would still acknowledge him, even though he was playing Naruto's hand in living. A nod answered his inquiry, and then waves were exchanged. With a glance around, he transported up onto the roof of the neighboring building. It would be quicker this way, to get to the bridge where Team Seven always met for missions. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop, making his way over to the pink-haired girl and the Uchiha-bastard. He dropped down, careful to make the movement seem less than graceful as he thudded down then ran with the thumping of sandals onto the bridge.

"Phew, made it." And then they would wait. Normally, if he was forced to wait around for more than ten minutes, he would have brought along Sudoku, a sharpener for his weapons, a Rubik's cube, or possibly if he was feeling leisurely, a book. Sure, okay, so the book was usually on something such as strategy, protocol, a different village, something to that extent. He thought it was leisurely. Besides, the only times he went with someone other than Genin teams was if ANBU needed help, or the Jounin team was down one, or if he was made to escort someone through dangerous territory. Instead, he decided to sit down and pretend to sleep while assessing his knowledge of Sand's situation.

And of course, the moment he was actually getting somewhere with his theories, his predictions, and his logic (three hours later), Hatake Kakashi arrived. Well, for upsetting his time to think about the problem, he supposed he could yell at the Jounin for being late.

"Hey! You're late! You made us wait three hours this time!" Sakura backed him up on his spew of complaints. Kakashi just curved his eye, waved, and dismissed it with a lazy excuse.

"I just happened to walk by a store and remembered that I needed to buy more shampoo, so then I had to run it back home, and ended up staying there a little late because Gai showed up and asked me for a small competition, and I can't ignore him because that's rude, so I had to go through with it. Sorry I'm late!" Blinking, the blond haired boy attempted to look baffled by Kakashi's long winded story. However, he was anything but, instead of acting on his suspicions, he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked off to the side of the bridge, analyzing everything around him. Yes, something was amiss, but it didn't seem threatening.

He went through the day, watching as Sakura's and Sasuke's minds worked out that Kakashi wasn't actually Kakashi-Sensei; indeed, the blue-eyed blond had long since deduced who it was, and where Kakashi was watching the quartet from. However, his form seemed to say he hadn't noticed anything wrong with the day's comings and goings. Weeding a garden between Sakura and Sasuke was the hardest part, especially since he could be of some use to Fire Country if he was elsewhere. He knelt there, frowning as he sweated and yanked at plants, bickering with the others. When they were done weeding the garden, they moved off to a lemonade stand, which is how Sakura finally figured out what must be going on with their Sensei. She was cued by his reaching up to tug down his mask without distracting them. Sasuke noticed to, so he stood, facing a lone tree that stood near the bench they sat on.

"You can come out now, Kakashi-Sensei. We know that this is in fact Umino Iruka with us, and not you." Naruto blinked, looking back and forth between the fake Kakashi, the tree, and Sasuke. Well, at least Sasuke knew who it was, although it took him quite a while to figure it out. Sakura finally spoke up.

-----

_essential and appealed, carry all your thoughts across  
an open field,  
when flowers gaze at you...they're not the only ones who cry  
when they see you  
you said..._

you don't know me, you don't even care,  
you don't know me, you don't wear my chains...

-----

"Yeah, we knew when we entered the garden to weed, and the fake Kakashi-Sensei looked towards the Academy, then pretended to just be looking to see if Ichiraku's was open. We all know Ichiraku's is on the edge of Konoha, not near the center. Besides, you wouldn't have pulled down your mask to drink without distracting us first." Kakashi stepped out from behind the tree trunk and grinned, scratching the back of his head.

"I just wanted to see if you guys were on your guard or not. Although Naruto should be more careful, he should have noticed on his own, not having to be told that something was wrong." Sasuke huffed in his direction, Sakura didn't mask her disgusted look well, and Naruto? He just attempted a grin, which caved into a grimace, a laugh that tapered off to awkward silence.

"Anyway, thank you, Iruka, for going out of your way to do this for me. Although I'm sure you can see that these three are doing fine now that they're not in your Academy class." Iruka lost the henge of Kakashi, and then gave the same wilting smile that Naruto had just given the Jounin, moving off a few steps.

"Well, I'm just glad that they seem to have a suitable instructor. Thank you, Kakashi, for allowing me to do this." He paused, and then turned to Naruto. "And I'll be seeing you at seven?" Naruto let loose a grin, and nodded. Iruka wandered off while Team Seven had their break, then went off to catch fish for an elderly couple who were hosting a gathering for retired shinobi. While Sakura took care that the fish stayed fresh in containers, which she ran back to the Kiba, Hinata, and Shino who were cooking them, Naruto and Sasuke caught fish. Only when the bickering got too heated would Kakashi interrupt them.

"I'm not having any trouble catching fish; in fact I've caught more than you, Sasuke-bastard!"

"Whatever, just stop being so loud and floundering around; you're scaring the fish away, dobe."

"I'm not a dobe, teme!"

"You guys, I would focus on catching the fish now, we don't want retired Jounin running after you all because you didn't catch enough food for them all to eat." His voice held a sort of warning to it, such as 'don't mess with those guys; they'll rip you to pieces'. Naruto huffed, crossing his arms and stilling as he waited for the fish to congregate around them again. Sasuke settled into a brooding silence, glaring down at the empty waters, Kakashi just hid his face behind his porn book again.

Later that evening, Naruto walked from his apartment, down to Haru's, knocking on the door loudly. Haru opened the door, smiling and joining him on their way to Ichiraku's. On the way, he made a bit of small talk.

"So, how were the missions today? Anything above D-rank?" Naruto gave him a sideways glance.

"You really believe they'd let that team do anything but? We're a wreck, even after Kakashi's know-it-all speech on our trial period. If Sasuke wants he can work with me perfectly, but Sakura… let's just say she's nothing really useful to the team except her analytical mind. She's almost as quick as I am, but I dare say that I have plenty of experience on her." He gave a wry smile. "But how have your missions been? Anything classified?" A chuckle followed that inquiry.

"I wish, however, I believe that tomorrow you're getting a C-rank; in any case, hopefully those two can catch up to you at some point, you shouldn't harp on them too much you know." He looked over at the shorter of the two, "Can you believe that they have me assigned for duty tomorrow? I thought you said I'd be off for at least another week." Naruto laughed.

"Sorry, I forgot how quick you are at bouncing back from things like that. Perhaps someone else would have been out for two weeks from a stomach wound, but you're lucky your genetics cover for you." He grinned and allowed the man to cuff him on the shoulder. That was the end to the conversation though, as they approached the ramen stand. Naruto grinned and extended his arm to its full length above his head, waving to the other man they were meeting there.

"Hey, hey, Iruka-Sensei!" Iruka turned, smiling, their order already being placed down on the counter.

"Hey, how are you, Naruto? Kakashi didn't keep after you about earlier, did he?"

"What happened earlier?"

"Iruka-Sensei pretended to be Kakashi-Sensei for the first half of the day," he glanced up at Iruka, "But no, he didn't say anything else." He grinned, showing the man he was alright. Though he couldn't tell him that he had been the first to know that he had been his previous teacher, not actually Kakashi, he could tell Haru later. The three ate the ramen, talking until two hours later, when Iruka split from Haru and Naruto. With a yawn, Haru turned to him.

"Lemme guess, the rant you were on earlier about your teammates has everything to do with what happened this morning. You're all upset over the fact that you can't actually be clever and all smart like the prodigy you are." He looked over at the older man.

"Of course. I have every right to be upset that I have to blunt my abilities this much. And Sarutobi knows how upset I am, but he still tells me to lay low." Haru gave him a small smile.

"Well, we should stop talking before we get to the civilian district. But just remember, it's better for the country if you're not out all of the time. That's the mistake other countries make, like Sand, for instance. Their Hontokage's dead now, or, we assume that he is." Naruto frowned.

"And for some reason I believe that he's not, hence I could be doing something other than D and C ranked missions with Genin teams." Haru laughed bitterly then rested his hand on Naruto's shoulder, giving him some silent support as they walked through the twilight towards their apartment complex.

-----

_she said I think I'll go to Boston...  
I think I'll start a new life,  
I think I'll start it over, where no one knows my name,  
I'll get out of California, I'm tired of the weather,  
I think I'll get a lover and fly em out to Spain...  
I think I'll go to Boston,  
I think that I'm just tired  
I think I need a new tow, to leave this all behind...  
I think I need a sunrise, I'm tired of the sunset,  
I hear it's nice in the Summer, some snow would be nice...  
Boston...where no one knows my name..._

-----


	3. As I Whisper

Pairing: eventual Kakanaru; SasuNaru, KakaTenzou

Rating: PG-15

Disclaimer: _All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from._ Also, song is "The Gift" by Angels and Airwaves.

Notes: I did make the Whirlpool Village have the Kansai dialect; but it won't play much of a part, but I thought I would mention that it is a true dialect. Un-betaed.

* * *

Supplies; after all the hard work of whining and complaining, they got the 'burden' of moving supplies from Fire Country through the feuding Land of Rain and Land of Grass to the Land of Earth, where their alliance was rocky (pun unintended) and they seemed to rely on the supplies getting where they needed to go. Now this wouldn't be so difficult, except for the feuding countries part. Battles between civilians and shinobi alike were bound to break out at any moment on border towns: which was the swiftest route for taking the supplies through; and, of course, the way that Sarutobi decided the team would go.

"Can't you walk any faster, Naruto?" He didn't warrant the pink-haired girl any response, but instead continued moving along at his relaxed pace. Well, to be honest he was thinking a lot recently. Not only was he thinking about Sand, but he was thinking about the disagreements that the Hokage and he were having these days. A Hontokage, or a 'true shadow' is the real protector of the country, and every country with shinobi villages had one. He was the Fire Country's Hontokage, which also meant he had a huge job. However, there was more to being the Hontokage than just protecting the country from outside forces. The True Shadow must also be a skilled shinobi in many other fields including teaching or tutoring, under-cover assignments, assassinations, diplomatic liaisons and helping to guide the Kage of the country through strategy in economy, alliances, military force and war.

"Dobe, you're going to end up splitting off from us and getting yourself into trouble with the way you're not paying any attention." The Uchiha prodigy was looking at him with something akin to concern as he spoke, but immediately switched it to a glare when blue eyes glanced up at him. Kakashi, currently walking a few meters in front of the supply caravan, looked back, hands still in his pockets.

"He's right, Naruto. You should be paying more attention."

Think of a clean way out, Keiko, something that's in character.

"Yeah, sorry, I'll pay more attention." Nice try, but now you sound like something's wrong. Think, Keiko, think! He frowned, sucking his stomach in beneath his jacket, and then pushing it back out causing it to gurgle. "Just hungry, that's all." He looked up, following the road with his eyes.

"You're always hungry, Naruto." Sakura sounded exasperated, well then he was doing his job correctly. He returned to thinking, masking it by seeming hungry. The Sand's Hontokage, while out attempting to find leads to the Akatsuki crime group of S-class criminals which was forming, and why Orochimaru would suddenly back out, disappeared in a way that looked to be a kidnapping. However, there had been a body found in a ditch near the border of Wind Country: mangled almost completely, but still enough to make it seem like the Hontokage's. The Kazekage believed the rubbish, but Keiko didn't. A Hontokage, while being completely mortal, was not easily defeated. It would take a large number of highly skilled shinobi to do the deed, or perhaps the Hontokage themselves rebelled against the one. Still: unlikely since Keiko knew the whereabouts of all the Hontokage.

Sound had not yet managed to elect a Hontokage, nor did he expect that they would. The Sound formed itself, and it was not probable that the leader, the new Kage, would know the secret of the Hontokages. Grass Country's and Rain Country's were trying to fix the feuds between the countries; The Land of Moon's was on a diplomatic mission to Land of Bears, where their own Hontokage was as well; Land of Water's was posing as a Hunternin for the time being and attempting to go after their many dangerous rogues; Land of Lightning and Land of Snow's were both helping to fill mission slots and help the Land of Wind since their Hontokage was gone; Land of the Waterfall's Hontokage was taking charge of a Genin Team; while Mountain Country's was placed on an ANBU team as they were lacking shinobi. So in the end, he and the cynical Tadao from Snow Country were the only two that could really help. Tadao would be held up because of his Genin Team, while he would at least have an elite Jounin, a prodigy child, and himself on a team. The only one to hold them up would be Sakura. Where was the pink haired girl anyway?

Immediately he berated himself over his lack of attention towards the kunoichi. Sasuke tries his best to ignore her, and Kakashi was scouting ahead, that left him. He frowned, extending his senses as far as he could to see if he could catch a whiff of her chakra. How long had she been gone? Couldn't have been very long, she was the last to speak and that was only about ten minutes ago.

-----

_There's a strangest excitement today  
If you're awake then you're welcome to hear  
I've got a gift and it blew me a way  
From the far eastern sea straight to here  
Oh God I feel like I'm in for it now  
Its like the rush has gone straight to my brain  
But my voice is as lonely as loud  
As I whisper a joy of this pain_

-----

He looked about, making a bunshin while he slipped off, leaving his bag in a supply wagon, leaping off silently. He felt Sakura's chakra going off to the north-east, Rain Country. His mind flashed him the information that the direction they were heading was towards Earth Country, his frown deepened. He hurried his pace, trying to get to her faster than Kakashi and Uchiha can figure out he'd left a bunshin. This, of course, wasn't long. The moment Kakashi had decided it was time to survey the caravan, he noticed two things: one was that Haruno Sakura was missing, the second was that Uzumaki Naruto was also missing, yet there was a clone in his wake. He dropped back, then, and looked over the clone; then turned to Sasuke, motioning him over.

Kakashi, being a Jounin, knew that he couldn't leave the caravan, and he couldn't stall it to look for the two missing students. However, he informed Sasuke of the situation, and then filled him in on the best course of action: which was to find them after they had delivered the supplies. They arranged a new formation, using Naruto's clone, which Kakashi took as Naruto going after Sakura, yet he was surprised that the clone was still stable that far away from Naruto himself. Although, he supposed it was entirely possible that whoever had decided to take Sakura, had then taken Naruto, but was following the caravan to take out Sasuke next. Which is why Kakashi made sure that Sasuke had his radio working, and had him stationed at the back of the caravan, the bunshin towards the middle of it, and he stayed up in the front; scouting, presumably.

The two remaining in the team slowly made their way Earth Country's borders and dispelled the bunshin quietly, making sure that they could get through and into Iwagakure, The Village Hidden in the Rocks. Moving at a slow pace, they knew that by this time, Naruto and Sakura were definitely missing, and they didn't even know where to begin to look. They held formation, still, and were always ready to defend the supplies, and possibly themselves.

-----

_And now I'll stop the storm if it rains  
I'll light a path far from here  
I'll make your fear melt away  
And the world we know disappear  
I'll stop the storm if it rains  
I'll light a path far from here  
I'll make your fear melt away  
And the world we know disappear_

-----

Sakura twisted away from the two males, lethargic but still fighting to not be put into the restraints. Blue eyes watched through the window that was between the two rooms they were being held in. Sakura had been taken, initially, and drugged into a deep sleep, where they put the shackles around her and hauled her most of the way to the place they were now. Passing through Earth Country's borders, they were near the border, up by the north-east end of the country. It was just after passing through the border that Naruto had attempted to get Sakura freed, but ended up being captured as well, considering he had to stay at Genin fighting level. He had a rather large, tender lump on the back of his skull now, but his complaints had been stifled by a gag placed in his mouth. Weapons had been stripped off of him, his jacket was missing, he was only in a fishnet shirt and dark green boxers; hands chained up out away from each other and his body, his feet were chained together, straight underneath him, yet he couldn't touch the ground. Sakura, who had been let down to eat, was going to end up in the same position. For how long, the blue eyes asked. For what purpose, green ones asked back.

Once Sakura was back in position, her eyes remained on him for a good ten minutes before she let them fall closed: she was asleep. He sighed, wishing he could break her out, yet he cooperated fully as they unchained him, allowed him to eat and restrained him once more. He too, succumbed to sleep, knowing full well that the food had been drugged.

Once he woke up, his eyes went to the window, seeing no one there was a shock to him and he immediately felt responsible for anything that happened to the pink-haired girl. She may be annoying and immature, but she was his teammate, and someone he took care of. His attention was brought to the front of him as the two indistinguishable males wearing dark hoods to shade their faces from his eyes moved and connected different shackles to him, then removing the previous chains. Frowning as he attempted to gather chakra, he realized that these restraints were chakra-suppressing. Before he could gather chakra, but couldn't put it to use with hand signs, now there was nothing. His blue gaze moved up to the two, and he nodded, knowing he stood no real chance with these bindings on and against two shinobi who were fully capable of using jutsus. He allowed them to clip ropes to each side of him in two places along the chains, then begin leading him out of the door.

He was led blindfolded through the facility to the door, then along some sort of trail. He could tell by the smells and sounds which distinguished the land to be on the outskirts of a small forest. When the birds stopped singing and there were sounds of movement, murmurings and chains he knew he had been moved into a grouping situation. Hopefully this way he could find Sakura. He cooperated all the way in, and allowed them to take the blind off, take the gag out, and then unclip him, and back out of the way, shutting the gate. He turned to look, seeing a jumble of people: shinobi and civilian, all with the same shackles around their feet as was on his. He looked around, almost in a panic, trying to find a head of pink.

* * *

The caravan finally was allowed into the Village Hidden in the Rocks, and was handed over to the shinobi with many thanks. As they were dismissed without offer of food, drink, or rest, they decided to take leave and try to get some clues about where the two missing ones were. As Kakashi well knew, technically he should head back to the village and send ANBU out after the missing, however, that could end up being too long of a wait. So without hesitation, he moved off, Sasuke in tow. At least they knew around the area that they disappeared. After traveling for a couple of hours, short range radios on, they stopped briefly for drink and a short rest. Knowing they couldn't afford to spend the night comfortably, Kakashi moved them out rather quickly.

They drew to a stop within the village they were passing through when the two went missing, and Kakashi initially extended his senses, however, all he could see was where one chakra trail had suddenly come to being: that would be the bunshin, while another right next to it extinguished. Logic told him it wasn't Sakura: Sakura wouldn't be caught walking that close to Naruto and even so, Sakura had to have been alive, otherwise they wouldn't have taken her. However, logic also told him that Naruto couldn't have died because of how long the bunshin carried on for. Once a person is dead, their jutsus dissipate; therefore both were still alive, why, however, Naruto's chakra trail extinguished, Kakashi couldn't guess. The Jounin decided to rest for the night and attempt to gather more clues through the community the next day. This would give Uchiha a chance to rest, and Kakashi time to analyze the situation.

The next morning dawned bright, and Sasuke was up just as early as Kakashi was, after all, no matter whether he wished to show it or not he worried about the two; that or he was an early-bird anyway. At a ramen bar, the only place that the two could find that seemed to be decent and hygienic within the village, the two had sat down in silence and settled down to eat. Sasuke heard it first, hushed whispers from the store-keeper about missing people. He tapped the Jounin's leg with the side of his sandal, sending the alert loud and clear. Kakashi continued eating, yet strained to listen in on the conversation at the same time.

"I heard that a couple of outside shinobi are here."

"They're sitting at the bar. My guess is they're looking for their buddy, a little pink-haired slip of a thing that Daiki saw taken. But you know what happened the last time we confronted them."

"Their shinobi, we're civilians, I know. I feel bad for those two though, they don't know what they're getting themselves into. They'll just go missing too, just like the last group that came through. They got this far and they started disappearing. All I know is I'm keeping my head down and tail covered."

"It's the best thing you can do right now." Kakashi and Sasuke, both finished now, stood in unison and paid, then walked off. Sasuke initiated the conversation.

"So they were kidnapped, by shinobi no less. The locals are too afraid to say anything that much is certain. Where should we start?" Onyx eyes flitted to the taller frame beside him. While his conclusions were supported by the evidence of a single conversation; he seemed to have the right idea.

"We should continue about our business; listen to the people around you, if it feels alright, ask about others that might be missing. And try to find out who Daiki is." Sasuke nodded, attempting to hide his contempt for having to socialize in order to obtain the answers he needed. About to turn to his Sensei and speak once more, he realized that the older male had wandered away and then disappeared in a puff of smoke. So much for sticking together, or at least using the radios; the Uchiha sighed, moving off in the direction of the nearest hot spring baths. It wasn't long after Kakashi had teleported his farthest towards Konoha that he realized his mistake. Opposed to going back, he would just have to hurry to report to Sarutobi. As to conserve chakra, he made his way rather slowly through Fire Country and wouldn't enter Konohagakure until either late at night, or early the next morning. With anxiety eating as his mind, he spurred himself into a faster pace.

Meanwhile, Sasuke meandered around the village. After taking a relaxing bath, he went to the market, picking up dinner for himself before settling into eavesdropping on the civilians. True to his character, he stayed in the shadows and usually made himself comfortable and quiet within a tree. That's when, perched on a thick branch, listening into the man named Daiki's conversation with an elderly woman who seemed to be his neighbor, he knew someone was there. For a flashing moment he thought about escape, but had nowhere to go. A rag was covering his mouth, his black eyes rolling up as he passed out.

Shinobi number three: now they had a complete set of Genin from Fire Country. This would be a fat paycheck.

-----

_I'll stop the storm if it rains  
I'll light a path far from here  
I'll make your fear melt away  
And the world we know disappear_

-----


	4. Stepping Over Pavement Cracks

Pairing: eventual Kakanaru; some SasuNaru, some KakaTenzou

Rating: PG-15

Disclaimer: _All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from._ Also, song is "DOA" by Foo Fighters.

Notes: I did make the Whirlpool Village have the Kansai dialect; but it won't play much of a part, but I thought I would mention that it is a true dialect. Un-betaed.

* * *

As he returned, although breathing heavily he was no worse for wear, he perched outside the Hokage's office and knocked a stone against the window in hopes of the old man realizing he was in need of an emergency meeting. He waited for Sarutobi to finish up quickly with ANBU members then appeared in the room before the door was even shut after the group departing. His solitary visible eye told the old man all he needed to know. Something had gone wrong.

"Hokage-sama, you remember my report on the awry business goings on in Earth Country, correct? I believe that one such business has taken all three of my students. Sir, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto were taken in respective sequence as we transported supplies to Iwagakure. As I informed Uchiha Sasuke of our missing teammates, it was apparent that Naruto had enough time to create a bunshin of him: which indicates that he may have gone after Sakura as she was taken. Upon getting to the Earth border, we dispelled his clone and crossed. We succeeded in the mission, Hokage-sama, and on the way back we took it upon ourselves to stop in the village nearest to where they disappeared. As such we gathered some information; however we proceeded to split up without radio signal. I came here, and I believe that in my mistake of removing myself from the situation, Uchiha Sasuke might have also been taken. As the evidence is those businesses are usually taking three members of a team, especially if they are young." His report, although it sounded long-winded, was in fact a shortened and non-detailed explanation. Sarutobi, understanding the urgency of the situation, proceeded to nod once, standing and crossing to the doors. Opening them, he whispered a quick summons to one of the ANBU guards.

Kakashi prided himself with showing no emotion, but with how dire he seemed to think this set of circumstances as being, he nearly whimpered. However, he did not let a single sound escape the lump in his throat. It was his mistake; he would have to fix it, even if he required help. The Hokage once again sat himself down at his desk. Several displacements of air later and they were joined by an ANBU squad. Kakashi remained silent as they spoke about the situation. He answered questions as they were asked; finally the Hokage called the monkey forward, whispering something and handing her a scroll, presumably something medically inclined since she was the medic-nin on the team. As they turned and left Kakashi took the lead, as discussed, to lead the way.

The silver haired Jounin thought about the report he had done on the twisted businesses that held court on the northern border of Earth Country. The only reason he had been assigned to such a thing was that shinobi were disappearing like wildfire all throughout southern Earth Country and the other shinobi nations. However, it wasn't just shinobi, as he found out. They were unbiased and took civilians as well into their slave-trade. That's where his Genin Team was—he _knew_ they must be. Why else would they have gone missing? As they sped through trees his solitary visible eye narrowed. He _would_ fix this.

-----

_I went down, I fell, I fell so fast  
Dropping like the grains in an hourglass  
Never say forever cause nothing last  
Dancing with the bones of my buried past_

Never mind there's nothing I can do  
Bet your life there's something killing you

-----

Naruto immediately started ruling out possibilities: they weren't separated by gender, and apparently some knew others in this pen—Sakura could be here. Frowning in slight dismay he started by walking up to someone that looked decently friendly: a boy who was sitting by another's legs, leaning against them and watching Naruto with wide, curious brown eyes. Naruto approached slowly, even though his mind was racing. He squatted down in front of him, the boy whom he was leaning against looking at the Uzumaki in a menacing way.

"Hey, uhh, I was wondering if you've seen a girl with pink hair. She has green eyes?" The boy nodded at the description, pointing towards the opposite side of the enclosure. Smiling he stood up again, looking down at the brown eyed boy still.

"Thank you." He turned then, shuffling towards his destination. The chains clinked between his wrists and the ones between his feet were dragged along the ground, matching the part of 'prisoner' nicely. His thoughts vanished as sapphire eyes landed on a head of pink bent down. There were _clinks_ made as a rock was raised between two hands and brought down sharply on the chain links by her ankle. She worked diligently, and for the first time Naruto realized just how clever she was. He shuffled forward.

"Sakura-chan?" The pink head of hair jerked upwards, green eyes flooding with tears widened as she saw the blond. Immediately she reacted: her hand squeezed tight around the stone, her knuckles turning white before she sprung up, throwing her arms around his neck, the chain striking his chin sharply, and dragging up, catching his lip and busting it open. He hardly noticed as he put his hands on her sides, attempting to console the upset girl.

"Naruto… I thought I was alone again! I thought they put you somewhere else! I was so worried!" Her eyes were clenched shut tightly, she hugged him close. This only went on for another minute before she regained her composure and pulled back. She looked down at her feet, then the rock still clenched in her hand. Finally she raised her pea green eyes to his face. She frowned.

"I'm sorry, did I cut you?" He raised one hand and wiped a drop of blood from his chin and shrugged slightly. She looked at him apologetically before fidgeting.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Naruto wracked his brain for answers. He took a deep breath of dusty air and turned to eye the gate. No chakra, due to the cuffs; delayed, he finally took a look at what he was wearing: still his fishnet shirt and a pair of green boxers. He sighed; his sandals had also been taken from him, so that left his file out of the question. He looked to Sakura; she was only wearing a short, rather revealing skirt and a brown, dirty t-shirt. She also had no sandals. This did not bode well. The other prisoners wouldn't necessarily listen to them, so it was Sakura and himself. He jerked his head towards the gate then moved off towards it in a shuffle.

Hurriedly he positioned himself on one side of the gate, motioning to the girl to stand ready on the other side. He pressed his ear to the wood of the high, solid fence around them. If anyone was coming to open the gate, he would be able to hear them slide the latch back. With his ear pressed to the fence, he listened, hand raised, two fingers pointed skyward. A muffled sound of metal scraping against rough wood and his two fingers pointed to the pink haired girl. Both eyes watched as the wooden gate started to open. It felt like millennia, wood scraping against wood before the gate opened into air.

Naruto had measured the wall with his eyes: six inches thick, rough cut outside, smooth studs for the inside that ran up the length, around ten feet high. As the gate slid wide open and two guards were visible with a small female between them, the blond and the pink haired girl leapt into the air, aimed for each. The girl between them looked up and gasped; a shinobi from Grass Country: a mere Genin. As Naruto went after the guard he was aimed at, he heard a fist connecting with flesh and a muffled cry of pain before a solid _thump_ and Naruto knew that Sakura had been thrown off. He allowed the fist he saw coming towards him to connect, throwing him off as well. Unhurt, he sat up quickly and crawled on knees and forearms to Sakura, helping her up, then pushing her back into the crowd that formed. He shuffled back against the other bodies, watching the new girl be unclipped from the guards and the blindfold be taken off of her. She seemed good for a Genin: she had sensed their attack though she couldn't see, but that wasn't what caught his attention.

Once the guards left, he found Sakura again and sank down next to her, back against the wooden wall surrounding them. He looked her over quickly and took note of even the smallest dusting of dirt over the bridge of her nose. She hadn't been hurt by the punch: which was lucky.

"They're shinobi." Her voice broke through his thoughts. Yes, he had caught onto that fact when the gate opened. However, as the guard had punched him, his face had moved slightly into the light, instead of being hidden in the shadows of the hood he was wearing. With that, not only did he have an idea of what kind of people were behind this, but he knew where this particular shinobi was hailing from.

"Earth Country shinobi." This time it was his voice that came out. Both sat silently; one contemplating what all this could mean, the other wondering if they were going to get out or if they had been abandoned.

-----

_Never mind there's nothing I can do  
Bet your life there's something killing you_

It's a shame we have to die my dear  
No ones getting out of here, alive  
This time

-----

The Lion kept its black hood up over plain brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. Danzou had remarked how quiet he had been, and so gave him a mission where there was more interaction. While he didn't support emotions, he supported interaction: otherwise one could go mad. Though that was according to Danzou, and he was a bit mad himself. Black eyes watched from behind his mask as the silver haired elite Jounin, Hatake Kakashi led the way. Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke had all been taken by a shady business. How Kakashi could have allowed this to occur was beyond him. However, that was not his business: his business was retrieving the three Genin and returning them to Konohagakure. They ground to a halt immediately to the inside of a copse of trees. Two shinobi were walking from one building to another, hoods drawn over their heads and shadows over their faces. Infiltration was the best way to go. As the two shinobi walked they had no chance as the ANBU squad overtook them. Kakashi and the Lion Henged themselves to appear as the two guards, then took the hoods from them.

Moving swiftly they were back on the trail, moving in the same position the two they were modeling had been going. Without talking, they entered the building before them, slipping in silently. There was a guard at the door who nodded to them.

"Two more, right?" The gruff voice broke through the tense silence. The Lion looked over, giving the guard a look before turning back into the quiet and proceeding down the hallway. The guard looked as if he didn't notice anything in the hallway. Kakashi, meanwhile, was looking through the cell doors that lined the sides of this hall with his Sharingan. He stopped when he found Uchiha Sasuke chained, gagged, and blindfolded. He noted the cell number then moved to sweep through the others. Naruto and Sakura were nowhere to be found. Kakashi stepped forward, The Lion in step with him as he opened the door to Sasuke's cell. They quickly worked to silently let the Uchiha down, giving him no indication that they were allies to him. They clipped the leads to him and got him stumbling along between them at arms length, out to the trail. Carefully they led him down the trail and to the next building, The Lion flashing looks towards both guards posted at the door. Both didn't notice as they entered the building, unclipped the Uchiha and dispelled the Henge technique.

Kakashi undid the gag and slipped the blindfold off of the raven. He nodded and pressed a finger to his lips. He didn't bother to hide his true looks as he slid the metal lock back and dragging the large wooden gate open. All of the slaves stood back from the gate, eyeing him with suspicion and unease. He feigned moving his hair to uncover his Sharingan again, scanning the area for his other two students. He caught a shock of blond out of the corner of his normal eye: Naruto was leaning up against the fence, regarding him with cool blue eyes that seemed to hold too much knowledge for the boy he knew as Naruto, when he went to analyze it closer it was gone though. He looked to the slumped form next to Naruto: Sakura, with her head in his lap as she rested. She would probably never admit to it after this, but she needed him. He walked towards them, the wide eyes of the crowd watching, the people giving him a wide berth.

When he reached the two he slipped out a lead and clipped one to each of them, tugging upward. Silently, and eerily they complied. He led them to the gate, where The Lion also clipped leads to each of them. After getting them past the gate, they closed it and slid back the lock. Scanning the area, The Lion flicked his wrist, indicating a back door. Kakashi nodded and moved the two forward, moving them at a fast clip. Once they shut the door behind them and were outside they unclipped the leads, then grabbed one Genin each, transporting them back to the squad.

Sakura was nearly panicking, but when she saw Sasuke she threw herself at him, trembling slightly and pea green eyes wide. Sasuke frowned and rubbing at his wrists: The Lion had transported him back to the squad's position immediately, and then returned to the building in order to help Kakashi retrieve the other two. The medic had looked him over, another working on getting the chains off of him. By the time two displacements of air alerted him; he was out of the shackles and could feel his energy returning. Naruto remained oddly calm in Kakashi's arms. He stood still, blue eyes slightly dull, but sparked with interest as he caught sight of the ANBU squad. Kakashi let him go and took the cloak off of himself, The Lion trading his for the one he had originally worn. As the medic spoke softly to Sakura and Naruto, Sasuke listening in, they checked them over. Instead of listening to the drivel of the medic attempting to calm them down, Naruto's sapphire eyes dwelled on The Lion.

-----

_Only took a second to say goodbye  
Been a pleasure but the pleasure's been mine, all mine_

-----

After they got the shackles off the two remaining Genins, The Lion turned from moving the two shinobi they had taken advantage of. Silently he peered from behind his mask at the sapphire eyes that were eyeing him in return. They looked rather familiar; almost like they were the Hontokage's eyes: the only Kage in Konoha that Danzou actually didn't mind (as he and Sarutobi had disagreement after disagreement). But The Lion dismissed the thought: the Hontokage would never have allowed himself to be caught and not done anything about it, especially if mere Genins could possibly pay for that foul up with their lives. No, Uzumaki Naruto was not Namikaze Keiko.

-----

_It's a shame we have to disappear_

-----

The group of shinobi moved off, setting a grueling pace towards Earth Country's nearest border and eventually their way to Konohagakure.


	5. Grey Diamond

Pairing: eventual Kakanaru; some SasuNaru, some KakaTenzou

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: _All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from._ Also, song is "Renegades of Funk" by Rage Against the Machine.

Notes: I did make the Whirlpool Village have the Kansai dialect; but it won't play much of a part, but I thought I would mention that it is a true dialect. Un-betaed.

* * *

The first few hours were tense; all was silent, any rustle of leaves was an alert to the team. Naruto knew the danger of keeping his chakra below normal levels, and he also knew that with his chakra levels so low The Lion would have no reason to be suspicious of him. Oh he knew well that The Lion had been watching him ever since he had laid eyes on him, but he had yet to act. Now and then he caught onyx eyes darting away again, although they were mostly hidden behind the mask. However, after long they needed a break: Sakura and Sasuke were getting winded and the border to Earth Country was looming before them.

The medic assured them quietly that once they were out of that country they wouldn't have to be as quickly paced, nor as silent. Naruto realized that the medic must be only trying to comfort them, as that was far from the truth: however now that the squad was leading them through Wind Country, it would be a different threat than constantly watching your back while walking the border between Grass and Rain. Wind Country wasn't exactly their ally. They were economically friends, but as for militia support, Wind would give them nothing and be happy about it. In fact, shinobi from Wind Country were rather foul tempered, or that was the experience Konoha had with them. Given that this would be the only threat, the squad would just have to avoid civilization for the most part, which left only one problem: facing the desert.

For all of the comforting words, Naruto thought her useless. It's better to have every shinobi realize what's going on rather than to keep them in the dark about troubles down the road. Perhaps this medic was used to remaining on Genin or Chuunin teams, so maybe she wasn't experienced in ANBU operations, but it didn't excuse the teammates that hung about catching their breath beside her. They had not spoken yet, nor told her to not speak. Naruto couldn't say anything, he had to play dumb. The Lion was watching.

Five minutes later and they were on the move again, slower this time as they approached the edge of a river. Carefully they scouted the area surrounding. The rest of the group broke from the forest they were encased in when the signal was given. A clear, green field was in front of them, on the far side of the swift river. Besides being swift it was definitely polluted, Naruto decided there must be a city upstream from them that didn't care for the river as they should. They crossed the field with speed, however it broke into sand and the desert began. They were closing on the border.

-----

_From a different solar system many many galaxies away  
We are the force of another creation  
A new musical revelation  
And we're on this musical mission to help the others listen  
And groove from land to land singin' electronic chants like  
Zulu nation  
Revelations  
Destroy our nations_

-----

They traveled halfway to Konoha by nightfall. The Lion, although continuously eyeing the blond, eventually gave up his hood and cloak combination to Sakura, as she needed to keep her skin from burning too badly in the desert heat. Naruto was fine, merely concerned that his feet would be burned from the hot sand. Sakura was also suffering from this, and so when the heated sands were growing cooler they breathed a sigh of relief. The Lion allowed Sakura to keep the article of clothing; he gave no excuse, although he seemed ready to give one. No one asked.

They took a break right after dark, this time they each had a drink and sat about in a silent manner. There was still anxiety, but mostly from Sakura and Sasuke rather than the ANBU squad. Naruto stayed silent, though many were beginning to worry about his emotional health, and he knew he needed to be loud soon. Or perhaps he could blame it on being exhausted, after all drug induced sleep is not necessarily restful sleep. The group started towards Fire Country once more.

It took them a few hours to cross the rest of the sand and break through their country's borders once more. Glad to be home, Naruto suggested that they get another hour into the forest before stopping for a longer rest. While Kakashi tossed a concerned look towards him, Sakura and Sasuke both backed him up: they weren't ready for rigorous travel. The ANBU squad captain gave him a reproachful look, almost as if to chastise him for speaking out: he was not in a position to suggest anything that would affect the squad. Still, the captain looked over the Genin then decided that he was correct. No one felt it out of place that an ANBU captain agreed with him; he had juiced up his voice to make himself sound whiny though. The Lion watched him, and in turn he watched The Lion, feeling as if he had seen him somewhere before. For the next hour of traveling he attempted to figure out where it was that he had been anywhere near him.

-----

_Now renegades are the people with their own philosophies  
They change the course of history  
Everyday people like you and me  
We're the renegades we're the people  
With our own philosophies  
We change the course of history  
Everyday people like you and me_

-----

The Lion felt positive that the blue eyes that continually caught his own were those of the Hontokage—one person he would never forget—but at the same time logic told him it was not so. Danzou—no matter how mad he was—always taught him to follow logic: it was usually correct whereas emotions allowed room for mistakes to be made. He struggled to push back emotions: fear primarily as his eyes met with shocking blue ones. They reminded him so strongly of the Hontokage. The first time he met the young Kage he had been twelve and behind a mask already. He was following Danzou towards the room where he was supposed to meet his new squad members: he was a prodigy and at twelve was leading an ANBU squad. Although he was a prodigy, he was nothing but a pawn when compared to the boy he moved swiftly to avoid. The cold blue eyes had looked through him at that point, while the boy wasn't meaning it, irritation was rolling off of him in waves and affected the boy to the point where he was frozen in place. Danzou was far used to the boy by now and so just brushed off the fear he inspired without a glance towards him. Trembling slightly, he had stayed completely still and tried to appear as small as possible: something he had learned was a definite stance of submission; he remained this way until the boy had disappeared from sight. The feeling didn't wear off until a week later. But these eyes weren't exactly like the Kage's eyes; they were just the same shocking blue.

The Lion, although curious about the true identity of the Hontokage, knew better than to assume that he had other jobs than what his title signifies. Also, to what end would the Hontokage play the part of a Jinchuuriki, and much less a Genin? How would that help or affect Konoha in the least? Even though The Lion thought his eyes resembled that of a boy that once scared him more than he had ever been before, he dismissed the idea for the second time. This was why he felt that Danzou was overreacting when he made sure he was getting some social interaction: he was only quiet because it helped him to not have emotional outbursts. It was his way of focusing.

After the hour was up of jumping from tree to tree, the captain chose a small opening in the trees to touch down to the ground. He looked about then motioned to the medic to go on watch. Quietly, he explained to the Genins that they didn't have any way to make them more comfortable, they would have to do with what they had available. The Lion blinked behind his mask as the Jounin named Kakashi pulled out an orange book, intently reading it as the rest of the squad stood guard.

-----

_There was a time when our music  
Was something called the Bay Street beat  
People would gather from all around  
To get down to the big sound  
You had to be a renegade in those days  
To take a man to the dance floor_

-----

Two hours had passed when Naruto woke himself up, assessing the situation with his eyes closed: everyone was still in their positions, he sensed their chakra signatures pulsing. He appeared to wake up to outsiders around fifteen minutes after he had woken himself. Groggily he sat up and excused himself to be able to relieve himself. As he scrambled up, The Lion stepped towards him. He said nothing but Naruto assumed that he was for added protection against any approaching enemies. Kakashi peered over his orange novel at the disappearing duo. Once they were a respectable distance away, Naruto proceeded to go about his business, all the while eyeing The Lion over his shoulder. The Lion's back was turned to him. Suddenly Naruto spoke, breaking the spell over them.

"You're a ROOT. What are you doing on an ANBU squad?" The Lion tensed then jerked his head so he looked back at Naruto. In a rough voice he addressed him.

"You're a mere Genin. How do you know of such an organization?" Naruto finished relieving himself and walked up to the shinobi now in quite a defensive posture although only doing so subconsciously. He smiled.

"I finally remembered where I saw you before. You're that kid who was following Danzou-sempai around at one point." Black eyes went wide behind the mask before he neutralized his expression. His eyes held a slightly defiant glint if you looked at him right, though. Naruto didn't seem to want to let the ROOT member get a word in though. Even if it wasn't a secret that he was the Hontokage, he didn't want to let that secret out just yet.

"I was at the Hokage Tower one day, 'cause the old man wanted to make sure that the Villagers weren't harassing me or something, 'cause I'm an orphan and stuff." This story seemed to placate the man behind the lion mask. He nodded once and spoke.

"So you're right. I was a ROOT member: ROOT has been disbanded since then." With a mischievous gleam in his eyes, Naruto challenged that.

"Oh Danzou-sempai _said_ that it was disbanded after his reprimand, but everyone knows ROOT is still in motion." The Lion shrugged it off.

"Then everyone's wrong." Naruto smirked; those ROOTs would deny it to the bitter end. But The Lion continued, "You know, Danzou would have taken you into ROOT, Uzumaki. But the Hokage would've missed the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki." Naruto's normally sparkly sapphire eyes dulled and grew dangerous. He was playing the part of the emotional Genin, perfect.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the ROOT member nearly flinched at the angered tone: it carried the resonance much the same of the—no, Uzumaki Naruto was not the Hontokage, and he would be better off if he remembered that. He responded in flat tones.

"Danzou-sama would have allowed you in the program if you had not been such a person that the Hokage would keep his eyes on." Naruto was actually surprised that this man would openly discuss this with followers of Sarutobi not far off. However, this also pointed to the fact that Danzou's followers were often very faithful to him as well as being very fearless: on a general basis at least. He frowned, but he knew now that he could at least make a contact in ROOT if he played his cards right; although it could mean giving up his secret in exchange. His eyes darted about and he motioned to the stream through the trees, just barely visible from where they were standing.

"I need to rinse my hands, if you please." He led the way expertly, leaning down and rinsing his hands in the stream before looking back up to The Lion. He stayed quiet for a moment, and then took off his fishnet shirt, silently laying it over the surface of the water, letting it sink gradually with the current. The Lion eyed him suspiciously before inquiring.

"What are you doing?" Naruto didn't even spare him a glance as he answered.

"Catching my teammates and Kakashi-Sensei some food. I'm sure they haven't eaten in a while: the travel took a lot out of Sakura. Sasuke's not much better and Kakashi's been tense the whole time." He didn't need to explain his reasoning, but he felt he should share it so his fishing wasn't dismissed with a 'we don't have time for that' or something to that effect. He caught two fish in one go, bringing them onto the bank and surprised to find The Lion's empty cloak lying out.

"I'll help, then." Naruto looked gratefully at him before returning to his fishing. After several moments of silence, he spoke again.

"My name's Namikaze Keiko, by the way, not Uzumaki Naruto." He dragged another fish onto the bank and continued as The Lion seemed to be listening. "You may not find this very believable, but I can prove it in more ways than one: I am Konoha's Hontokage."

-----

_We're the renegades of funk  
We're teachers of the funk  
And not of empty popping  
We're blessed with the force and the sight of electronics  
With the bass, and the treble the horns and our vocals  
'Cause every time I pop into the beat we get fresh_

-----

By the time everyone was getting somewhat restless with the fact that The Lion and Uzumaki Naruto had been missing for far longer than one would take to go to the bathroom, The Lion had heard most of what he already knew of the Hontokage: Naruto, no Keiko, wasn't being very forthcoming with information. But still, a mere Genin wouldn't have been able to produce this knowledge, nor was the level of experience that The Lion could tell in each of his movements Genin level. He was concerned mostly because he was unsure as to whether the Hontokages were allowed to speak freely about themselves. Yet all of his thoughts screeched to a halt when Keiko extended his hand towards him.

"If I tell nothing of what I know from you, will you not tell anything of what you hear from me?" Typical; The Lion would have normally reasoned that this was defense; Keiko would need for him to be silent about it in front of the others. Although he could see how Keiko would have thought to seek him out, a ROOT operative, he was used to keeping secrets. He extended his own hand, taking hold of Keiko's hand and bowing over it.

"Of course, Sir." Keiko nodded, picking up the fish they had caught, letting go of The Lion's hand and turning towards camp. They trudged back, quite ready to eat then set out for Konoha again. As they entered the circle of ANBU, Keiko set down the fish and net.

"We brought food, so I hope you're hungry."


	6. Storm Front

Pairing: eventual Kakanaru; some SasuNaru, some KakaTenzou

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: _All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from._ Also, song is "Dead Man's Road" by Cinderella.

Notes: I did make the Whirlpool Village have the Kansai dialect; but it won't play much of a part, but I thought I would mention that it is a true dialect. Un-betaed.

* * *

-----

_When I was young  
Old man sat me on his knee  
He told me if I had a dream  
I could be what I wanna be_

-----

His blond hair was whipped by the wind, sapphire eyes shining as he entered through the gates of Konoha. Finally he was home; he turned his head, looking back at the others nearby: he had been walking ahead with The Lion. No one else really understood the newly formed bond between The Lion and Naruto, but they seemed familiar with each other and in some way respected one another. Naruto showed this by not being quite so loud and talkative, while The Lion merely showed his respect by walking closer to the boy than before. Not only did they seem to have a new friendship forming, but none of the others knew when this development had occurred. The thoughts were cast aside as the Monkey and the Cat spoke quietly and returned to the rest of the group.

"We will all proceed to Hokage-sama's office immediately." The Cat's voice was a husky, deep one. Naruto's eyes darted over to The Lion, then back to the Cat. The Lion didn't know the identity of this ANBU operative in that case. The Lion must only be temporary in this group, not a long term station. Not that this surprised Naruto, it was quite usual. Funerals were nearly weekly occurrences, he knew because he always got notices: however he never attended anymore. As they started to drag their tired bodies towards the Hokage offices, The Lion spoke once more.

"Uchiha, Haruno, and Uzumaki could give a separate report, couldn't they? They must be extremely tired, and their ailments are not serious. They need rest, not a mission report. Allow them to return to their apartments."

Kakashi, looking between The Lion and Cat, was concerned for his students yet chose not to speak. It wasn't his place after all. After a moment of silence the Cat nodded curtly, not displaying much affection or respect towards The Lion. Naruto watched the interaction with interest. Immediately The Lion turned back and spoke to the three Genins.

"I will escort you three to your homes. Follow me." He moved off in the direction of Sakura and Sasuke's homes first. Naruto hung back, bringing up the rear of the four. He was tired, it was true, but he had stayed awake for far longer in much more strenuous situations. His attention instead was on the events of the previous days. The more he thought the more he realized how odd it was that he hadn't even noticed someone take Sakura. This troubled him greatly. Sasuke and Sakura were both wiped out he would wait until after he had spoken with the Sandaime in order to talk to them about their experience.

It wasn't long until they had dropped off Sakura, then Sasuke, and finally he was standing at the doorway of the apartment complex he lived in. With a grateful look over at The Lion, he knew they would see each other shortly, he walked into the building. Now it was time to play the role of Hontokage and report.

-----

_Now life goes on  
A voice echoes in the wind  
Its telling me to carry on  
Now I know that its him  
He said_

-----

Moving into his room he peeled the rags from his body and folded them, kneeling down and taking the clothes from the empty space beneath the floorboards of his closet. Carefully yet quickly, he dressed and wrapped his hair, blond chunks flowing out of his hasty job. Placing his mask over his features he turned, picking up the clothes and teleported to the normal room he went to in the Hokage tower. Izumo was leaning back in a chair, reaching for a folder when he appeared, yet in a split second of reaction time Izumo had jumped and yelped, crashing back down into the chair and sending everything around him into disarray. Then, after a moment of struggling noises, Keiko popped his head over the desk and looked at Izumo as he was stuffing papers back into folders and picking up office supplies that had fallen to the floor.

"Sorry about that. Need help, Izumo?" The dark haired man turned his face up to observe the Hontokage's mask in disbelief. For the speechless moment Keiko just grinned underneath his mask.

"You're in a good mood today, Sir." Feet pounded up the stairs and both pairs of eyes focused on the door. Keiko lost his smile. So he had beat The ANBU Squad here after all? How odd. Izumo spoke.

"Sir, the closet?" Keiko jerked his head, indicating he would stay out in the open. Izumo looked at him in curiosity, then widened his eyes and snatched the dirty clothing out of the Kage's hand just as the door was beginning to open. He shoved the clothing underneath the desk and blinked at the Squad entering. Keiko just moved to sit on the desk, amused by Izumo's actions. He could have thought of a reason to have them. He had been doing so for years, and yet those who knew of his identity did everything they could to prevent anyone else from finding out. The Lion's eyes, behind his mask, widened whereas Keiko just raised a gloved hand and saluted the Squad. Kakashi seemed slightly stunned towards the right side of the group, but wasn't letting on.

"Mind if I join you?" The Cat, who he assumed was new to Captaincy and obviously hadn't seen him before answered firmly, his expression must have been snide underneath the mask.

"I think it best you were not in the way, rookie." Izumo, in his nervousness at the retort, laughed. Everyone else held a strained silence. Keiko only smiled. It was at this juncture that the Sandaime opened the door and poked his head around the frame.

"Ah, Keiko-sama! I thought I heard your voice! Come on in. The rest of you as well."

-----

_He said_

_Whoa, watch out boy  
Dont go messin with your life cause it aint no toy  
Lord help ya to carry lifes load  
It could all pass you by down on dead mans road_

-----

Whether the cat was embarrassed or not was none of his concern. He hopped down from the desk and held his hand out to Izumo without looking, satisfied when the rags were pushed into his grasp. He paid the ANBU Squad no mind as he slipped past the Hokage, plopping the clothes on the desk and standing at ease. He wasn't troubled by the Cat's assumption; he was in a good mood and with good reason. As the others filed in he stayed silent and still. The Hokage trailed behind the group then skirted it to sit at his desk. He twined his fingers in front of his face and peered over them at the group.

"The mission was a success, Hokage-sama." This was the Cat, once more. Maybe the old captain died. It wouldn't be unusual. But this acting captain really didn't know what he was doing. The lengthy pause after this was said was enough to show that. Keiko took it upon himself to fill the silence.

"Sir: I request permission to take this mission." The Sandaime's eyes darted to his small, dusty orange clad form. He stared unblinkingly back.

"Permission granted. How will you proceed?" Keiko, having thought about this in depth realized that losing time was losing ground. More shinobi could be taken, along with scared civilians. This had to be stopped now.

"I should assign Ibiki to getting detailed reports from Genins Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto at once. Also I will dispatch a two man squad: myself and one who is chosen, to depart immediately for Iwagakure." The other Kage seemed to consider this before nodding.

"Do what you feel is best. I trust your judgment. Who will you be taking with you?" He had to consider this carefully. He couldn't take Kotetsu; he was on leave due to illness. Haru went on the last one. That left Izumo, or possibly The Lion if he felt comfortable enough with him. Izumo seemed much too stressed to deal with a mission of this level at the moment.

"The Lion." The team beside him remained quiet. The Hokage eyed him briefly before nodding.

"I wish to speak to the two of you alone. Kakashi and the Cat, I expect detailed mission reports to be handed in after you have gotten some rest. Ah, also: could you tell Izumo to appoint Ibiki to getting information from Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto?" A chorus of 'Yes Sir's rang out before puffs of smoke from teleportation filled the room. The Cat turned, opposed to teleporting, and walked out while The Lion stepped forward until he was even with Keiko. Neither looked at the other, their attention was only on the Sandaime Hokage.

"I hope this is not off of a whim, Keiko." He sounded like a condescending parent: which he nearly was since Keiko had grown up with him around. He shook his head abruptly. The old man gave him a reproachful look. The Lion spoke in his stead.

"I know of the alter ego, Hokage-sama. I am a friend." They glanced among one another then the Sandaime's voice broke the tense silence.

"If this is true, then so be it. Just don't get yourselves killed." They nodded and teleported away.

-----

_But I gotta keep a runnin  
Cause theyre catchin up to me  
I think I hear that voice again  
This time it says to me_

-----

They reached the gate, taking only the weapons they had on with them. They showed their identification cards, and then leapt into the trees. It was a long way to Iwagakure, but Keiko planned to make it over two days, the makings of a camp he hoped were lying in some cave. They didn't speak; the voyage was silent besides the soft rustling of clothing as they sped through the wilderness. Keiko did look over at The Lion, studying his profile almost as if he was looking to find something that was hidden deep down. Whatever it was he was trying to figure out, he soon lost interest and instead focused ahead. He thought about his time in the pens with Sakura: about not knowing when someone would come for them—if someone would. He hadn't been afraid; he could have found a way out. He had, however, been worried about Sakura and Sasuke. They had become important to him, somehow, and had also become his responsibility. It was hard for him to think of not leading a double life the way he was currently—and then this mission.

This mission was a challenge, or at least he hoped it would be. He sincerely hoped he got to do more than just tell the Tsuchikage that this illegal business was happening. At least then there would be some excitement in his life. However, the business with Sunagakure really was a matter pressing on his conscience. Perhaps, now that he thought about it, Orochimaru was the one behind the underhanded businesses. It was possible, though not all that likely. This didn't seem like something Orochimaru would do: especially immediately after he had become a missing-nin. He would find out after this whole mess was sorted out.


	7. Storm Flag Flying

Pairing: eventual Kakanaru; some SasuNaru, some KakaTenzou

Rating: PG-15

Disclaimer: _All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from._ Also, song is "Storm" by Lifehouse.

Notes: I did make the Whirlpool Village have the Kansai dialect; but it won't play much of a part, but I thought I would mention that it is a true dialect. Un-betaed.

* * *

-----

_How long have I been in this storm?  
So overwhelmed by the oceans shapeless form._

-----

Arriving in Iwagakure at around two o'clock am the following morning they were both panting and tired from having not taken a break for camp that night. Neither had felt tired and by the time they had they were a half hour outside of their destination. Both had felt the press to get there sooner rather than later, the thought of all those people trapped in buildings and systems such as what Keiko had just been through pushed them forward. None of those people deserved the way they were being treated, and since the operation was illegal Keiko was one to take responsibility of making sure it was stopped. The guards allowed them in on viewing the identification cards, The Lion was uncomfortable as he wasn't used to walking through the front gate to a city. They still didn't speak to one another, but were instead led directly to the Tsuchikage's office.

Upon entering the two were slightly tensed. As their alliance with Earth Country was pending, they had to handle this cautiously and carefully. All nodded at one another, then the Fire Country's Hontokage spoke.

"I'm here regarding the corrupt businesses," The Kage before him nodded and Keiko continued, "Fire Country succeeded in infiltrating the system of warehouses, however the position was compromised. Since then we have regarded all information and concluded that Namikaze Keiko and ANBU Operative Lion will lead the system to its destruction." The Tsuchikage narrowed dark eyes at him in thought before speaking.

"The systems are ours to deal with; however your assistance would be greatly appreciated." The tones held a note in them that Keiko couldn't quite interpret. It wasn't threatening, he could be sure of that. Desperation sounded correct though. Keiko nodded, knowing full well that to argue this point could get them turned back to Konoha with a failed mission. The Kage before him made a motion with one hand and the doors opened to reveal a Jounin: the one that Keiko knew well. Kaya was her name, though her family name was one he didn't remember. He nodded to her, the eerily thin female voice floating through the air.

"Ah, Namikaze-san." The Lion eyed this new woman, unsure of whether she could be trusted, but as Keiko responded with his normal apathetic tone, he relaxed and allowed his eyes to wander. The conversation that followed just exchanged information related to the infiltration and what Earth Country already knew.

-----

_The waters getting harder to tread  
With these waves crashing over my head._

-----

The Lion and Keiko were settled into a hot spring bath an hour after they arrived at Iwagakure. The Lion's removed mask was only within Keiko's presence showed dark eyes that matched his dark hair; his likeness to Nara Shikamaru was slightly daunting, but it was obvious that they were not related. Keiko spoke only once they had soaked for a while.

"Did you notice anything about the Tsuchikage? Or Kaya for that matter?" Keiko's tone was thick: thoughts of this were at the forefront of his brain, also the problem of the shady businesses being run and Earth Country not doing anything to reveal the perpetrators was thrusting itself into the matter. The Lion thought. The Kage had seemed distracted, especially once Kaya entered the room. Kaya, The Lion figured, must be an integral part of whatever was going on. Perhaps it was as simple as a love affair; perhaps it was something as complicated as treason. He spoke.

"Tsuchikage-sama seemed distracted; once Kaya entered the room it only seemed worse. Kaya is the Hontokage, correct?" Keiko's abrupt nod gave him the answer he knew already. Then the blond turned towards him, blue eyes twinkling.

"What is your true name?" The Lion blinked. What an odd boy this was: to think that Danzou-sama might still have records of who they had been was ridiculous. Why would he keep something like that hidden from his followers? In any case, his 'true name' wouldn't matter especially to him, as he didn't relate to it in any way.

"I suppose I do not relate myself to any name. Even 'Lion' is only a codename." Keiko's head tilted to the side, blond locks hung in damp chunks off the side.

"But the Hontokage has a name. Why should you not? I don't find it very fair that Danzou-sempai is with-holding such information. I suppose his followers would be different if they had names, though." Keiko turned back to face out, sapphire eyes still dancing. "I do think that Kaya has something to do with this whole ordeal. We should be careful in the future."

-----

_if I could just see you everything would be alright.  
If I could see you the darkness would turn to light  
And I will walk on water, and you will catch me if I fall_

-----

Five days later and something happened that drastically changed the motion in which the mission was going in. A subdued pace of meeting ANBU and falling into a rhythm of creating plans and blueprints was making The Lion jittery, where as Keiko seemed used to waiting for others to make a move. Keiko's relaxation ended up showing that even a Hontokage can make slip-ups.

The day dawned bright; Keiko was up and dressed, kicking at The Lion's foot, while cursing at a scroll that wouldn't come unraveled. The Lion groggily sat up, only to get a wildly flailing elbow connecting to his cheekbone. He blinked and frowned as Keiko's face brightened considerably.

"We leave to get the first business destroyed today. Finally, we're getting somewhere." The Lion proceeded to scrub his face and get dressed, wondering how it was that the Hontokage could be such a kid at times, but otherwise be completely stoic. The Lion was ready to go, the scroll was burned, and they headed out the door. Meeting up with the others was easy enough, Kaya wasn't present, but then again she hadn't been for any of the planning either. Suspicious as that should have been, they thought nothing of it. They headed out.

It was half a day out in the blistering heat, rock surrounding them on all sides that they were ambushed. Keiko had called for an all halt, a kunai with an exploding tag whistled through the air, the kunai whizzed right through Keiko's blond hair. Sapphire eyes burned brightly behind his mask, all shinobi reached for weapons. The tag exploded the rock, shrapnel fell around; dust hid the attackers. Three experienced shinobi fell within seconds: one sure hit from the assailants. Keiko dodged left, going back to back with another of the team: the one ANBU left other than himself and The Lion. Sharp metal collided with metal, footsteps sounded as The Lion backed into his two allies. The dust settled; the attackers had fled. It was at this moment when Keiko understood the severity of this mission. It was crucial to get this member of the ANBU through: otherwise all blame would fall to The Lion and himself. It would be a perfect set up for chaos. War would ensue. They would turn back. Keiko spoke.

"We will return to Iwagakure. Leave the bodies, we can retrieve them later." The ANBU looked at the downed men then gave a nod to Keiko. They worked their way back to Iwagakure. It was devastated: buildings were abandoned; there were dead citizens and shinobi alike. The clash of battle was long since quieted. Keiko took stock of their surroundings. No one alive was around them, but there were some there. Iwagakure was a big city: something of this nature would have had to come from someone who knew the city well. The remaining ANBU voiced the thoughts of the small group.

"Kaya…"

-----

_And I will get lost into your eyes  
And everything will be alright, and everything will be alright._

-----

They moved through the destroyed city in a small wave, but sure enough: resistant shinobi were scattered, overwhelmed but alive. Keiko's look was grim, he invited the shinobi to combine forces with him and they would return to Konoha for much-needed back up. Some agreed without hesitation, liking the sound of being in league with the Fire Country's Hontokage, while others were hard-pressed to nod their heads. The Lion did not judge these men and women harshly; he would have been just as reluctant to seemingly abandon Konoha in the same situation. In the end they had a group of eight, which suited Keiko fine; no one had felt obligated to remain in the ghost city. The group made their way to the Tsuchikage's office, wondering if the Kage had been evacuated, assassinated, or kidnapped. Keiko threw open the door, the Tsuchikage sat with his hands folded in front of his face.

"Namikaze Keiko-sama, thank Kami." He breathed a sigh and Keiko strode forward. Kunai up and pointed towards the Kage he spoke.

"What is the meaning of this?" The Tsuchikage's eyes cast down, like a scolded child. It was only after a moment that the man spoke.

"Kaya left me alive so that way I could talk to you. I am not on her side, but I have been forced to keep this quiet until now." Keiko waited patiently. "Kaya is the leader of this 'movement', all of the businesses. They kidnap shinobi and citizens and sell them to other countries to use as militia, slaves, whatever is needed." The seven others were listening. One started to question the Kage, but Keiko silenced him with the wave of a hand. The Tsuchikage continued.

"Kaya is the only reason why these businesses can run in such a way. She has many followers: more than even I could have guessed. She plans to take over the shinobi villages." Within a moment Keiko backed up, eyes wide. Words flew from his mouth.

"Get out now, it's a trap!" The Lion signaled a split, and the remaining seven went in two different directions, Keiko backing towards the door. The Tsuchikage looked at him with a saddened expression, shifting to stand. Keiko pleaded with him.

"Please, Tsuchikage-sama, you don't need to do this." The Kage's resigned voice filled the room.

"There's no other way." The man stood as Keiko made a hand seal. A wire tugged, setting off a series of exploding tags and bombs within the tower. The seven had barely made it outside. They looked back, The Lion's eyes darkening at the thought that Keiko could be injured. A displacement of air beside him made him alert, but when he drew his weapon the familiar voice sounded.

"Friend." The Lion relaxed, turning his head to see that the Hontokage was not harmed. Keiko looked grimly back at The Lion, then at the group behind his friend.

"I apologize; I should have seen it sooner. I should have attempted to get your leader out of danger." Sapphire eyes stared hard at the dirt, seemingly ready for harsh criticism, yet none came. The shinobi were quiet.

-----

_I know you didn't bring me out here to drown,  
So why am I ten feet under and upside down.  
Barely surviving has become my purpose  
'cause I'm so used to living underneath the surface._

-----

The ANBU headquarters were quiet. The Hokage was asleep soundly in his bed and Konoha seemed to be in a pleasant lull as businesses were closed and the citizens were at home for the night. The sound of footsteps was brought on the wind: a messenger was on her way.


	8. Color Me Bad

Pairing: eventual Kakanaru; some SasuNaru, some KakaTenzou

Rating: PG-15

Disclaimer: _All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from._ Also, song is "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd.

Notes: I did make the Whirlpool Village have the Kansai dialect; but it won't play much of a part, but I thought I would mention that it is a true dialect. Un-betaed.

* * *

-----  
_so, so you think you can tell  
Heaven from hell,  
Blue skies from pain.  
Can you tell a green field  
From a cold steel rail?  
A smile from a veil?  
Do you think you can tell?_

The gate was closed for the night, but the guards stood not far off. The messenger slipped by them nevertheless, and continued on towards the tower. The Jounin vest dirtied with soil, dust and blood, headband slipping down on the woman's forehead. It was merely luck that stopped her from going straight to the tower.

As it was, Kakashi was having a difficult time getting to sleep that night. He worried that Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke wouldn't be able to do anything for another few days; his thoughts lay on checking on them before he could actually get some rest. It happened in a stroke of luck that was not only favorable for Konoha, but for a certain blond boy who was not where he was "supposed" to be. Kakashi stepped from the apartment building, thinking that just walking would soothe his troubled mind and perhaps get some of the kinks out from his harried travels the previous couple of days. And so he stepped into the path of a hurrying woman: one that was not within her right to be there, especially without a pass. The woman whirled, showing expertise movements of Jounin rank. Kakashi's hand reached, snatching her vest in a seasoned sort of experience. Within a millisecond he had her pinned to the wall, kunai at her throat and a question spilling from his lips.

"State your name, rank, and purpose." The woman's throat was tight, it sounded as if she were winded from running a long distance. Her information came out in a wheeze; Kakashi loosened his grasp slightly to allow her a bit more room.

"Endo Kaya, Iwagakure Jounin, my purpose is to alert the Hokage to the fact that Fire Country's Hontokage has gone rogue: the Tsuchikage's dead." Kakashi studied her. Her information seemed sincere: though why the Hontokage would choose to go after the Tsuchikage was beyond him. This really was business for the Hokage.

"I'll take you to him." He re-holstered his kunai, bit his thumb and produced a summons out of the dust, "Pakkun, fetch the Hokage: quickly, if you please."

Kakashi immediately paid mind to the seemingly dazed young woman. Kaya, now why did that name sound familiar? Perhaps it was coincidence that he had met a Kaya: Jounin from Earth Country a little over three years previous. He brushed it off; they had matters to attend to. He led the way towards the tower, his round-about way not only making time for the Kage to reach his office, but to confuse this 'Kaya' as to the location of their Kage's hold.

Within the hour Endo Kaya had described everything she had seen to the Sandaime. A flurry of orders and suddenly the ANBU headquarters were buzzing with noise. Armor clinking, weapons checked and re-checked, clouds of smoke screening an operative's teleportation, and general chatter filled the building. Kakashi hadn't been informed of anything except to "stay put". Kaya was taken to the hospital where she could be given a once-over. Still, Kakashi didn't wish to part with the woman. Not due to any attraction he held for her, but for the briefest of moments he thought he had seen some other agenda hidden in her dark gaze. Of course, the very moment Kakashi started to protest was the very moment that the Hokage gave him a meaningful glance. He said nothing.

-----  
_And did they get you to trade  
Your heros for ghosts?  
Hot ashes for trees?  
Hot air for a cool breeze?  
Cold comfort for change?  
And did you exchange  
A walk on part in the war  
For a lead role in a cage?_

Keiko wasn't sure what he thought he was doing, letting these run-down and nearly exhausted shinobi in on not only the village's secrets, but the fact that he had enlisted their help. Certainly The Lion and he could be to Konoha and back simply enough and they wouldn't have to be worried about injuries on the way. As it was, the Namikaze realized that these six survivors needed medical help, reassurance, and they needed to feel as if they were doing something for their country: which they had done enough for already. Keiko still wasn't positive on how he had managed to slip-up badly enough that a whole city was nearly wiped off the map. What a stupid, elementary error. He looked over to The Lion.

"I suppose they're one step ahead of us. Already have someone there." He didn't waste breath on explaining anything. The others around them listened. It wasn't the Lion who answered, however. The ANBU operative who had accompanied them on their way into the ambush: the Frog.

"Kaya." The croak-ish voice indicated how the operative got his name. Keiko thought on his answer. The Lion merely gazed at him, both were thinking along the same lines. Sure, their enemy would be one step ahead: and Kaya was (not to offend anyone else) the cleverest one they had. Keiko thought back to the conversation he had with the Lion on a few days short of a week earlier. In the bath, they had concluded to watch out for her. The depth of her treason was something to be dealt with. That is, if the Tsuchikage's message was the truth. If Kaya was behind everything then she was aiming to devastate the Shinobi Nations. So far she had caused Grass and Rain to start pushing at one another's borders, undermined Iwagakure completely as well as assassinating the Tsuchikage. Next would be Konoha, since Keiko had involved himself. This would not be good. The only thing he could think was that he did wish for the level of familiarity that Kakashi and the Genin Team gave him. But they weren't working together; therefore Keiko was on his own. He looked to the Lion then stole a glance at the Frog. No, he was not on his own. He had a team here as well.

-----  
_How i wish, how i wish you were here.  
We're just two lost souls  
Swimming in a fish bowl,  
Year after year_

Back in Konoha the Hokage was making some last moment arrangements known to the ANBU team and the Jounins gathered before him.

"What we've heard from the Earth Country Jounin must be taken with a grain of salt. There was perhaps a misunderstanding. We must proceed with caution. Do not attack. Only defend yourself, capture if you must apprehend. We don't want to cause any more of a disturbance than necessary. Just get the Hontokage to explain himself." He left the 'if you can' part out. He didn't need to undermine his own authority too early in the game. He still had to deal with the medics in order to insure that Endo Kaya was well taken care of. He saluted the shinobi before him: his gesture to seeing them off. A moment later he was alone, contemplating how Keiko could have flown under his radar, if Endo Kaya was indeed telling the truth.

The teams headed out, checking in with radios at various points until they crossed the Konoha border. Now, between the Grass and Rain countries, radio silence was due to tension, not from any spoken orders. They moved quickly: the ANBU in practice more than the Jounins for the fast-paced mission before them. Kakashi stole a look across to Gai, wondering how they were to stop a shinobi who had assassinated a Kage. The shared thought was halted as the comm buzzed in their ears.

"Something off to the left, headed for Konoha. All halt; turn about. Flank left." Although the Jounins weren't used to being ordered about, they did not delay, nor respond other than to swiftly change course. They were the fall-back in case whoever it was got beyond the ANBU. However, the way the ANBU sometimes ran was to allow them through, use the second team as a guard, then to surround and take out. By Kakashi's experience such a tactic had only been used on the offense, and was easily recognizable if the enemy had any ANBU experience themselves. Therefore, the probability of that being the plan was unlikely. Kakashi silently advanced, knowing in his gut that they were about to find what they had been looking for.

Something pattered to a stop on the path floor ahead of them. A person, masked, exhausted and obviously sent ahead as a scout. He looked back over his shoulder, then immediately put both hands in the air, showing he had no weapons. The ANBU Captain sent one of his own men down to the lone shinobi. They kept their distance, yet the other didn't speak. He made no move to communicate, he seemed to be waiting. As it was, the ANBU Captain moved the forces, spreading them out so as to have coverage in case his man was ambushed. Kakashi parted from the Jounins quietly. From his new vantage point he saw the other shinobi was of Iwagakure in origin. His dirty vest, tired stature, yet urgent approach towards the situation pointed towards the fact that he could very well be forced into doing what he was. Obviously the ANBU Captain had foresight to match Kakashi's. If this guy was waiting on their Hontokage to spring an attack, he was doing so rather patiently.

"Put down your weapons." The disembodied voice sounded boyish at best, though it lacked no authority. At mid-day it seemed as though this person, the _Hontokage_ Kakashi reminded himself, was very well versed in hiding his team. He stayed just out of range from being surrounded, as if he had the whole scenario mapped out in his head. Kakashi had the nagging thought that was exactly what the Hontokage would do. Kakashi waited for any sort of signal.

"Put yours down." Aha, so they weren't going to just lie down and let this guy boss them around? Well, at the moment it seemed like a good idea to keep all arms up. There seemed to be an angry growl from a teammate from the other side of the situation.

"I can't do that. I see you're Konoha, but are you friendly?" Now was Kakashi's turn to grit his teeth. Friendly to whom? If they couldn't see who they were up against, then they couldn't exactly promise anything.

"We are friendly towards those with the same agenda as ours." A figure materialized behind the earlier shinobi. The masked figure glanced back at the orange-clad shinobi and nodded, falling back. The ANBU Operative down on the path drew a kunai, but kept it firmly within his grasp.

"State your name, rank, and purpose." The words from down on the path were muffled from behind masks, but the answer was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Namikaze Keiko, Konoha's Hontokage; my purpose is to seek aid from Konoha against a heavily armed and extensive group committing treason to Iwagakure." Everyone seemed to pause. A what group? How was it that Konoha had been told something completely different? Everyone remained stationary until the ANBU Captain laid down arms. The Captain teleported to the path, behind his team member.

"We were told not to attack the Hontokage, but to get information. We were told that you had assassinated the Tsuchikage; Earth Country was asking for assistance as well." The smaller figure before the Captain seemed to pause, considering this new information.

"I have no proof, but I am not the person who is responsible for the death of the Tsuchikage. I regret to inform that he was, however, assassinated. The one you are looking for is one Endo Kaya." Kaya? Gai and Kakashi exchanged a look then Anko dropped down from her perch on a branch.

"With your permission I will return to Konoha and track that bitch down." Her last words were laced with venom. At first Kakashi saw the sense in that, but as the Captain spoke he thought differently.

"Permission denied. Just wait, Anko; this needs to be sorted out before we go scattering to the four winds." The Hontokage nodded.

"I agree. However, I do have a small team, six of whom are from Iwagakure. They survived the battle there." He seemed to pause, "If all of yours will come out and talk, then we can all rest and learn what the other knows." It seemed to be more of an order than a suggestion, and the ANBU Captain thought about it before acting. Finally, after a moment he nodded.

"We have a truce thus far."

-----  
_Running over the same old ground.  
What have we found?  
The same old fears.  
Wish you were here._

_-----_

As the Frog spoke, everyone listened to his croaking voice; some were speculative, others suspicious, but the majority believed his rambling tale of how he had come to realize Kaya was behind the attacks. The other Iwagakure shinobi listened with bowed heads, already mourning their lost companions and Kage. Keiko stood briefly to apologize for his lack of judgment during the impending assassination and take-over of the Hidden Village. Anko was sent back, but in her company was The Lion, each to keep the other in check. Although The Lion did seem reluctant to leave the Hontokage's side, he did as he was ordered. The rest of the night was dedicated on setting perimeter traps, exchanging watches, and resting. The injured were tended to, the aid forming a rocky friendship and an unlikely alliance between the two groups. Keiko did go out of his way to sit beside Kakashi later in the evening, but silence reigned.


	9. A Chance To Talk

Pairing: eventual Kakanaru; some SasuNaru, some KakaTenzou

Rating: PG-15

Disclaimer: _All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from._ Also, song is "Just Hold Me" by Maria Mena.

Notes: I did make the Whirlpool Village have the Kansai dialect; but it won't play much of a part, but I thought I would mention that it is a true dialect. Un-betaed.

* * *

-----  
_Comfortable as I am  
I need your reassurance  
And comfortable as you are  
You count the days_

Throughout the night Keiko found it hard to sleep. Not only had he told the Jounin what his name was, but the ANBU as well. It was supposed to be privileged information. Eventually, after he had taken his turn at watch he fell asleep next to Kakashi. The comfort he felt from the nearness of his Sensei wasn't much, or at least that's what he told himself. In the back of his mind he acknowledged he wished Sasuke and Sakura were also curled up nearby, but he brushed it aside. The circumstances did not allow for Genins, he would have to do without. When Keiko awoke in the morning he yawned beneath his mask and stretched, sitting up in the process. Kakashi mumbled something that sounded like 'is it my watch yet?', but Keiko ignored it in favor for taking in the surroundings and setting his mind to the problem at hand.

An hour later and everyone else was waking to the sound of a fire crackling and breakfast being cooked. The ones on watch had eaten, the chef being Namikaze Keiko: still dressed in orange. Gai poked a sleeping Kakashi in the ribs to wake him, the reaction being a punch that was narrowly dodged. Kakashi sat up, mask still in place.

Another half hour passed as everyone ate. Whether Anko and the Lion were able to apprehend Endo Kaya or not, the group needed to proceed in some manner. Keiko, without thinking about it, plopped himself down next to Kakashi for the talking. Normally one would have ventured over to the ANBU Captain, but Keiko preferred to have Kakashi's help.

"So with Kaya, the leader, in Konoha and scattered troops, assuming the information of her large following being correct, where does that leave our small legion?" Normally Keiko would also introduce himself, but it felt so natural to just start talking. Kakashi, for his paused start, did seem a bit taken by the fact that the Hontokage had sought him out, but quickly recovered from the fact when Gai sat beside him.

"We could split into two, form a base and have the other group proceed." Gai's voice was an unexpected one to answer, but still brought up a good point. Keiko hunched over, placing his elbow on his knee and chin in his hand. Sapphire eyes stared out of the mask's eye slits, towards the two Jounins.

"I have a bad feeling about splitting up. If the offense gets too far from the defense we have no radio; Endo Kaya is--_was_--a Hontokage, she would take advantage of something like radio silence." Keiko responded while Kakashi pondered. Having not said anything as of yet he took in the information and put it into his own suggestion.

"If we went in a wave that was purely offense we could take them out, but that would spread us thin. Admittedly this could become problematic: say if our numbers lessen even more." Keiko seemed to smile behind his mask.

"Good thought. However, you're in the company of highly trained individuals. We shouldn't lose too many, especially if they have captured Endo Kaya in Konoha. If they haven't we'll need to have myself and at least one other to combat her when the time comes." Keiko's gaze rested firmly on Kakashi as he continued, "I would like it if you were that other individual."

Kakashi knew that he was a nominee for Hokage, but being chosen out of a group by the Hontokage had to mean that he was exceptional. He wasn't sure he agreed with that. He frowned slightly behind his mask before he spoke.

"I accept only if you're positive you have chosen correctly."

-----  
_But if I wanted silence  
I would whisper  
And if I wanted loneliness  
I'd choose to go  
And if i liked rejection  
I'd audition  
And if I didn't love you  
You would know _

In Konoha the situation was surprisingly in control. As Anko and the Lion both attested to the same accounts of what happened when the Konoha aid and the Hontokage met, Endo Kaya was captured in the hospital and sent to ANBU headquarters, Ibiki's ward. Kaya and Ibiki sat across from one another, the Hokage watching from behind a pane of glass. It was boring, as Kaya was not talking, but Ibiki was prepared to wait it out.

The Lion and Anko, both anxious to return to the group working on subduing Earth Country, were told to remain in case of another breach. The Sandaime didn't have the Hontokage for protection right now, so it was imperative that he have at least two people he could trust.

-----  
_And why can't you just hold me  
And how come it is so hard  
And do you like to see me broken  
And why do I still care  
still care _

Back at the camp ANBU were packing things up; Keiko, Kakashi, Gai, and the ANBU Captain were talking out their plans. Keiko, ensuring that Kakashi would be paired with him, spoke about the suggestions given to him.

-----  
_You say you see the light now  
At the end of this narrow hall  
I wish it didn't matter  
I wish I didn't give you all _

There was plenty of time while Kakashi was left alone to sharpen his weapons in preparation for this new mission. In that time his thoughts lingered on the Hontokage. How was it that he thought so highly of Kakashi? He didn't feel special in the least. So what if he had a sharingan eye and was a nominee for the next Hokage? He knew why the sharingan was helpful, but other than that rare specialty jutsu he wasn't useful. At least, he didn't feel useful. Keiko, laughing at something one of the ANBU operatives said, approached him shortly after his thoughts concluded. Kakashi's single eye turned up to see the orange-clad young man sit beside him, a grin hidden behind his ceramic mask.

"Have you ever just spun around, watching the sky?" Kakashi found this question odd, but rewarded him with an answer.

"Once or twice I suspect, when I was a child." Kakashi spoke in an even tone as Keiko just continued to smile in his direction.

"Then you're the right one for this mission. Stop doubting yourself." Keiko might be strange, Kakashi concluded, but he was admirable in many different ways. As Keiko sat beside him and told lame and tasteless jokes, Kakashi relentlessly prepared his weapons.

-----  
_Poor little misunderstood baby  
No one likes a sad face  
But I can't remember life without him  
I think I did have good days  
I think I did have good days_

Keiko knew what he was doing would have repercussions. With a man as smart as Kakashi, just give him time and he would sort out the riddle of Namikaze Keiko's life. That's why, after this mission he would stay well away from Kakashi while he was Keiko, and distract him with Naruto. Sapphire eyes darkened slightly, so he told another joke.


	10. The Break

Title: **Underneath the Underneath: The Break**

Pairing: Kakanaru eventually perhaps some other pairings mentioned along the way.

Part and Rating: 9/25; PG

Disclaimer: _All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from._ Also, song is "Barely Breathing" by Duncan Sheik.

Notes: I did make the Whirlpool Village have the Kansai dialect; but it won't play much of a part, but I thought I would mention that it is a true dialect. Un-betaed. It's been a while, but I'm back into the swing of things!

* * *

-----

_Cause I am barely breathing_

_And I can't find the air_

_I don't know who I'm kidding_

_Imagining you care_

-----

In Konoha, Ibiki was waiting out Endo Kaya. She would speak eventually; it was only a matter of time. Patience was a key element to interrogation.

"You do realize that even if you lock me up there are many more people who will step up to the plate? They're ambitious bastards. This will only get worse."

And there it was, her sing-song voice telling him that resistance was futile. Ibiki's face lapsed from its hard features into a sly grin for only a moment. He caught himself. No emotion while interrogating a suspect. As his features smoothed out, he reminded himself not to answer the question. He would not respond to her taunts.

"Why don't you tell me how all of this started." Not a question: a demand. Endo Kaya only stared.

Patience was key; he would just have to wait it out.

-----

_I know what you're doing_

_I see it all too clear._

_I only taste the saline_

_When I kiss away your tears._

-----

The pairs were introducing themselves to each other if they had not already met. Keiko made sure to spread out the remaining Earth Country shinobi; while the remaining ANBU and Jounin were paired together to eliminate any favoritism.

Gai sharpened a kunai while standing with his back to Kakashi, speaking low over his shoulder, "Obviously you're the choice for the next Hokage."

Kakashi stayed quiet for a while, mulling over it. The Hontokage's mask looked up from where he was going over last minute details with the ANBU Captain. Kakashi sighed, his words muffled by the mask as he spoke to his friend. "I won't count my chicks before they hatch."

Gai shrugged it off and turned back to his own partner.

It wasn't long until the ANBU Captain was barking commands and the pairs were fanning out. Keiko weaved between the others, making his way to the silver haired Jounin. Kakashi found his stomach had turned upside down and his skin had flushed. He swallowed thickly and checked for the fifth time that his weapons were easy to get to.

"Ready?"

Kakashi looked around; only a few pairs remained. He turned back to the sapphire eyes watching him through the slits of a ceramic mask. He nodded. Keiko turned, a gust of wind fluffing the golden blond hair that stuck out of hasty wrappings. His blue eyes sparkled in the morning sun. His weight shifted as he took off for the trees. Not even a split second later, Kakashi followed.

-----

_You really had me going,_

_Wishing on a star,_

_But the black holes that surround you,_

_Are heavier by far._

-----

It didn't take long to travel to through the Earth Country border. No one stopped them, they encountered no problems. That was, until the radio buzzed and they heard a rustling, a whisper, and a scream. Immediately Keiko stopped. High in the branches of a tree, he signaled for his partner to stop. Kakashi stopped two trees away from him and looked around. He dropped to a crouch. It was silent. The breeze picked up and brushed their skin. Keiko gazed forward.

"There's a network of wires ahead. If we proceed, we fall into a trap."

Kakashi looked ahead, trying to find the wires with his lone eye. After a moment, the breeze shifted some leaves and the sun glinted off a couple of the aforementioned wires.

"We could go around it."

Keiko looked over at him and grunted. "Or we could disassemble it."

Kakashi was about to voice his protest, but the Hontokage continued.

"It's likely that they've laid traps, but aren't watching them. Most people use traps like these as defense and don't really expect an attack. By the sound of it, someone already tripped one of their other traps. We should take it apart to ensure no one else gets hurt by it, and then continue. It shouldn't be too difficult."

Somehow Kakashi doubted that it was going to be as easy as it looked. Or maybe that was just his paranoia coming to the surface. He nodded anyway and they proceeded with taking down the wires.

It didn't take as long as Kakashi had feared; by radio they learned that one of the ANBU had nearly gotten an arm lopped off, but was fine. The group was relieved, but still anxious as they pressed on. Every other pair was on the look out for traps, but only a few encountered them. As the small legion closed in on buildings, they would stop, call for another pair close by to assist them and sweep the area. All resistant forces were apprehended or killed: whichever was easier.

-----

_There's not much to examine,_

_There's nothing left to hide;_

_You really can't be serious,_

_If you have to ask me why._

-----

Kaya only grew violent once. Ibiki was lucky to have a table available for pushing in the way of her attacks. She couldn't gather chakra, thanks to a new mechanism created by the Black Ops for situations like these, but her ninjutsu was formidable. Perhaps that was why she was a Hontokage. Ibiki had escaped with a few bruises, but went in again after giving her time to cool down. He swore that dealing with people like this was like trying to keep a wild animal calm. Reasoning with a tiger—that's what his Sensei had called it. He rather liked that analogy.

They were getting nowhere with the perpetrator; nor did Ibiki think they ever would. In his mind, if she was to die in an "accident" and they cleaned up the mess she had created, it would all be okay. Then again, Ibiki also realized that the Hokage wouldn't rest until he had answers. So he opened the door and went back in. Kaya stared at him from across the table.

-----

_I believed in your confusion,_

_You were so completely torn;_

_Well it must have been that yesterday_

_Was the day I was born_

-----

Kakashi followed the Hontokage through a maze of trees. It didn't seem to Kakashi that they were heading straight, but he didn't want to ask why they were headed in a zig-zag pattern. And after a while of thinking it through, he noticed that they were assisting the groups around them, plus covering their own swath without missing a beat. Kakashi had to admit that he was getting tired, though. Mostly he had been taking out guards and getting the 'slaves' free; they hadn't come across any resisting forces yet.

Keiko figured that there would be a final battle somewhere between half-way and three-quarters of the way through the sweep. As much as he tried not to get tense, he did. He didn't voice his thoughts; in fact he was being completely quiet as he mulled it over. As Keiko didn't want to keep everyone in the dark and cause possible casualties, he spoke over the radio, alerting the group to the possibility of what lay ahead of them.

It was after the sun was beginning to set that they encountered the opposing side. It seemed that someone had taken over as 'leader' and had rallied the troops. Most were shinobi, or had some basic training towards being one. But they didn't come out in the open—oh no—they dashed about in the trees, keeping themselves invisible to their enemy. It was sudden, their attack, but violent. Bombs rained down with kunai, shuriken, and rocks.

They were taken so off guard that two people were lost immediately. They didn't have time to react to their losses, but instead readied their favored weapon. Keiko pulled a short sword from his belt loop, glad he had grabbed it before leaving Iwagakure. He held it in defense, his back pressed against Kakashi's. In a second, he crouched. He counted the seconds as he looked through the silent trees. Searching for the culprit; searching for movement. Light, paced breathing through masks was all that was heard.

A sudden sharp pain sliced through Kakashi's right arm but he ignored it in favor of pin-pointing the origin of the weapon. His eye found it quickly but before he could take action, an orange clad arm extended past his left cheek and the wrist flicked, sending a shuriken into the leaves. Without Kakashi's being able to react, Keiko spun around the man and let fly more sharp objects. Pinning one of the perpetrators to the trunk of a tree, Keiko kept his distance and held his short sword at the ready.

"Who are you following?" The vehemence in his voice was enough to snap the Jounin back into motion. He positioned himself back to back with the Hontokage once more, watching his surroundings carefully. The young shinobi being questioned stayed quiet, grinding his teeth against the pain of the blades cutting into his skin. When he didn't get an answer, he dropped to a crouch and caught the boy's eyes.

"I'll ask you once more: who are you following?" Keiko ground out the words, causing the boy before him to shiver and divert his gaze. He stayed silent for a moment before he cried out.

"Endo Kaya! We're following Endo Kaya, alright?!"

Kakashi snuck a glance at the Hontokage when all hell broke loose.

-----

_Everyone keeps asking, what's it all about?_

_I used to be so certain and I can't figure out_

_What is this attraction? I only feel the pain_

_There's nothing left to reason and only you to blame_

-----

Kaya's legs pumped faster as she took to the trees. Sirens blared behind her, alarms went off and shinobi sprung after her. Within seconds she had a plan formulated to get out of this disastrous mess. She wasn't a Hontokage for nothing…

-----

_And I could stand here waiting_

_A fool for another day_

_I don't suppose it's worth the price, worth the price,_

_The price that I would pay._

-----

The attack came from his blind spot—the spot he should have been observing far more carefully than he did. Kakashi's folly was that the boy's confession distracted him momentarily. No, it wasn't so much the confession as what the Hontokage did with it that distracted him. He knocked out the young boy. This wasn't something Kakashi had ever gotten used to: children on the battlefield. Even if he had once been one of those children. But still, the attack came at the worst time. The Hontokage was busy tying up the boy when the flash of a kunai caught Kakashi's eye. He had time to call out vaguely before he spun himself around and blocked the hit aimed for his partner.

He didn't even get a good look at this new threat's face when he disappeared in the leaves to the side. With the Hontokage now on alert, the Jounin felt better. Several more flurries of attacks assaulted them, but they held strong. Just when they thought they knew where he was coming from next, the attacker changed tactics. This caused the Hontokage to be attacked at the side he wasn't ready to block for. The tip of the sword slid past his block and jabbed into his ceramic mask. A centimeter closer and his face would be cut. Any deeper and he could be dead. The force of the blow made a crack in the mask.

Keiko ignored this and started to counter attack. After that it didn't take long for the two to dance around in the trees, an intricate dance—but oh so deadly. Another block and Keiko moved to counter once more to find a fist coming directly at him. Without a hand to use in defense, he allowed his mask to take the brunt. He would have a bruise on his cheekbone, but he doubted it would throw him off tremendously. He was correct, but at the cost of losing half of his mask. As it crumbled away and the under-wrappings were revealed, he followed through with his own attack. The punch landed directly into the diaphragm and his opponent's breath _woosh_-ed out of him.

Kakashi stayed well out of range, knowing that the best way to be of help was to not allow anyone else into the fight either. So he crouched next to the unconscious boy and watched for any new threats. The cracking of the mask and subsequent falling off caused him to take notice of the fight going on in front of him. When his eyes landed on the victor—on the Hontokage—his onyx eye went wide.

Naruto?

Kakashi shook his head and looked more seriously at the situation. Absolutely not. His spunky student was not even close to being in league with the Jounins, let alone the Hontokages. Besides, the likeness stopped at the exterior of the two in question. The look in the Hontokage's eyes, for instance, was something one would never see in Naruto's. Those were the eyes of someone who had killed before. Kakashi looked to the downed opponent and frowned beneath his mask. Two down. How many more to go?

-----

_I've come to find, I may never know_

_Your changing mind, is it friend or foe?_

-----

Defeating the remaining resistance was not very difficult. Most of the shinobi were just barely trained in using weapons, or were older and not in the best of condition to be fighting. Once they had drawn out the enemy, it was no problem for their meager forces to apprehend them. They left guards with their new prisoners and continued the sweep. With the main sections officially under Konoha's control, the Hontokage went back to one of the larger facilities with Kakashi in tow. As they discussed what went on, Kakashi found questions springing to mind. He was now used to seeing the pale skin showing instead of a ceramic mask, but the initial shock was still lingering in the back of his mind. It took quite some time until he could get alone with Gai, but he found the tired out man and sat down with him while the Hontokage went to discuss something with the ANBU Captain.

"That sure was fun, wasn't it?"

Kakashi just looked at his friend blankly. Gai gave up on his loud persona in favor of getting whatever it was that was bothering his friend, out into the open. Kakashi sighed and sat down next to the man.

"How does he fight?"

"Like any well trained shinobi." Kakashi narrowed his eye and slanted it in the man's direction.

"No amazing jutsus?" Gai was slightly taken aback. Wasn't that what a position in high standing called for?

Kakashi paused for a moment, thinking it over. "No."

There had been some, but nothing out of the ordinary. Just extremely well timed. He gazed out at the trees, watching the wind bend the branches and flutter the leaves. He spoke again, before Gai could say anything else.

"Who do you think he is?" His voice was full of wonder when he spoke: like he was thinking of possible answers while he asked. Gai looked at his friend for a silent moment, leaning back and crossing his arms behind his head.

"I don't know…"

* * *


End file.
